[4] He was then hired as the offensive coordinator at the University of Tennessee under Johnny Majors, helping the Volunteers win four of five bowl games while he was there.
A noted quarterback tutor, he helped Boomer Esiason return to form and earn a trip to the 1993 Pro Bowl.
[7] The 2000 season would see the Panthers finish 7-5 and included a 12–0 shutout win over Penn State[8] in the final game between the two rivals until 2016.
Larry Fitzgerald became the second Pitt wide receiver in four years to win the Fred Biletnikoff Award under the tutelage of Walt Harris.
His already uneasy relationship with the athletic department would deteriorate further when his agent took the unusual step of publicly pressuring the university to give his client a new contract and making comments critical of Pitt.
[15] Harris met one final time with the athletic department prior to the Fiesta Bowl but was denied an extension despite the team's accomplishments.
[17] After accepting the Stanford job, Harris chose to coach the Panthers in the Fiesta Bowl where they lost to Utah 35–7 in his final game with Pitt.
One final twist in the unusual breakup came when Harris, almost immediately after joining Stanford, fired the agent who had criticized Pitt.
[18] He left with a record of 52-44 and the third-most games, fourth-most wins, and the most bowl appearances in school history[19] and was replaced by former NFL coach and Pitt alum Dave Wannstedt.
[20] In his first season as head coach at Stanford Harris posted a record of 5–6, including a 20–17 loss at home to UC Davis of the Great West Conference.
One article about his departure from Stanford called him a "disciplinarian" and reported that a player briefly quit the team in protest of his coaching style.
Hosting #20 Texas A&M in 2002, Pitt was penalized on back-to-back snaps during an extra point attempt for using a player with an ineligible jersey number.
After the penalties the Panthers missed the extra point, which proved costly as they found themselves needing a two-point conversion to tie the game after a late touchdown.
[28] Harris was also criticized after the 2003 Continental Tire Bowl for under-utilizing Heisman Trophy runner-up and eventual third overall NFL draft pick Larry Fitzgerald.